This Puerto Rican arroz con pollo — or rice and chicken — recipe is a classic island-cuisine dish filled with the savory flavors of ham, pork, capers, olives, and tomatoes.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar, or as needed
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ pound salted pork, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ pound cooked ham, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup sofrito (such as Goya®)
- ¼ cup recaito (such as Goya®)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 6 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup rinsed and diced Spanish olives
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 (1.41 ounce) package sazon seasoning with coriander and achiote
- 3 cups uncooked white rice
Steps
- Place chicken in a large bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add pork and ham; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sofrito and recaito and cook for 1 minute. Season with oregano, cumin, and pepper. Add capers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in tomato sauce and olives; cook for another minute.
- Strain chicken and discard vinegar. Add chicken to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Adjust heat as needed to simmer but not boil.
- Add broth, sazon, and rice to the pot. Stir until well mixed and return to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir.
